IN SHORT: Hordes Exigence is here, so let’s take a look. As with previous releases, every Hordes army receives a host of new toys, this time throwing out powerful character warbeasts, lesser warlocks, and two of the new warbeast packs. Like all Privateer Press releases, the book is printed in full color with page after page of impressive new artwork.
So, let’s take a look at the new Legion of Everblight models.
ABSYLONIA, DAUGHTER OF EVERBLIGHT: Absylonia comes with plenty of ways to enhance Legion’s powerful arsenal of warbeasts. First, her warbeasts can charge or make power attacks without being forced. Second, if Absylonia kills something, those warbeasts get +2 SPD and +2 MAT. Third, her feat hands out +2 STR, Flight, and Reach to her battlegroup. Fourth, she can heal her entire battlegroup for d3+1 damage points at a cost of 2 Fury. That’s enough to guarantee every warbeast has every aspect active. Fifth, she can hand out Return Fire at 1 Fury per cast to allow her warbeasts to … return fire. Sixth, she can Fortify a model in her battlegroup with +2 ARM.
Oh yeah, Absylonia comes stocked with ways to make warbeasts an absolutely terror. She can also Teleport up to 8” away, which allows her to be played more aggressively, moving forward to get a kill in, then teleporting out of danger. She is an incredibly focused warlock, with basically nothing to give supporting infantry. But with a list of enhancements like the one above, why waste points on infantry?
BLIGHT WASPS: I tried. Honestly, I tried to figure out what these guys are good for. Blight Wasps are one of the two new warbeast packs, so they should be exciting, right? Well, not so much.
I mean, they’re not bad. I’m sure skilled players can put them to good use. They’re just underwhelming. There’s no wow factor here. Plus the Hunting Pack rule and Overwhelm animus don’t seem to mesh. Hunting Pack makes them a threat when they work together as a group, but Overwhelm can easily have them swinging bonus attacks at MAT 5 and P+S 8. Not exactly scary stuff here.
Meh.
NERAPH: This flying warbeast is fairly scrawny for a heavy warbeast and is instead geared to taking down high DEF enemies. A single hit with its Grasping Tail means every following attack automatically hits. After that, just keep headbutting the enemy with a P+S 16 Hammerhead. Plenty of light warjacks and warbeasts have very impressive DEF stats, but suffer with low ARM. The Neraph is an excellent counter to those models, and a flurry of P+S 16 attacks can certainly do work on tougher opponents.
ZURIEL: With a solid stat line, Flight, two P+S 16 daggers, and two spray attacks that set targets on fire, Zuriel means business! His Chain Attack allows him to get in a free spray if both his initial attacks hit the same target, and his animus is powerful when used right.
Predator’s Instinct is SELF only and costs 1 Fury. It gives Zuriel an additional die to all attacks against warrior models (excluding warlocks and warcasters). This allows Zuriel to tear through enemy infantry with ease using both spray attacks (RAT 5 with a bonus attack die should not be underestimated), but can also be used by numerous warlocks to great effect.
Given his affinities (Rhyas and Saeryn), he fits in well with both of them. He gets Stealth when with Rhyas and can channel spells for Saeryn. But by no means do I think he should be restricted to their lists. Just imagine putting Predator’s Instinct on the Lylyth’s bow or Thagrosh’s spray attacks, just to name a few possibilities. Yeah, I think those combos would create quite the mess.
STRIDER BLIGHTBLADES: An ambushing unit for Legion? Apparently so!
The Strider Blightblades look pretty straightforward. Ambush allows them to enter the battle from the table side edges. They have high DEF and Stealth to help them survive long enough to actually do something, and they have Combined Melee Attack and two attacks each to give them some extra hitting power.
Like other ambushing units, you pay for that ability and suffer elsewhere in the unit’s capabilities. These blighted killers cost a point a model, so your mileage may vary.
FYANNA THE LASH: Okay, I have to admit something here. I really do like seeing models with varying attack types. I enjoy having that level of flexibility built right into the model’s rules, and Fyanna can execute three different attack types. She can beat enemies back 1” at a time, gain additional damage dies against warbeasts, or throw enemy models around. With Chain Strike and SPD 7, she has 14” threat range and can attack twice a turn. To keep her safe, she can Prowl in terrain to gain Stealth, is immune to free strikes, and gets a free 2” move when shots miss her.
That all pretty awesome. But is she 3 points worth of awesome? With only 12 ARM and 5 damage boxes? Umm … maybe?
SUMMARY: Privateer Press introduces another set of new models that bring fresh possibilities to each faction. Less warlocks and warbeast packs may not be as exciting as gargantuans, but there are still plenty of fun releases in this book.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.
Legion
Hordes Gargantuans Review: Legion of Everblight
IN SHORT: The Horde Gargantuans rulebook is here, and once again Privateer Press shows their top shelf support for an excellent gaming system.
As with previous releases, every Hordes army gets a host of new additions that mix up the game in exciting ways. In the past, Privateer Press has shown their skill in maintaining game balance while still adding tons of exciting new options. Fortunately, this rulebook does not disappoint. Every main faction gets a new warlock, one of the new gargantuans, and a mix of beasts, units, and solos. The rulebook itself is full color, and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous!
Today, let’s take a look at the new additions to the Legion of Everblight arsenal!
LYLYTH, RECKONING OF EVERBLIGHT: A battle engine warlock? Why not!
This third versions of Lylyth certainly knows how to shoot. She has Auto Fire [3]. Not d3. Just flat out 3 shots every time, no need to buy more attacks. On top of that, if she kills a living enemy model, she gets to cast one of her spells for free thanks to Blood Boon. Not bad, especially given her low Fury of 5.
Her feat, The Reaping, encourages a lot of shooting in her army list. Directly hit an enemy with a ranged attack in her control area and they have to give up either their movement or action. It doesn’t even have to be damaged by the attack, just hit. Ouch!
Lylyth is also quite a bit tougher to kill this time. Her base ARM is 16, but can go up to 18 thanks to her Escort spell. Add in Wind Wall, which she can trigger with Blood Boon, and non-magical ranged attacks automatically miss. Top it off with Spiny Growth or Tenacity for a very durable warlock.
And speaking of Escort, that spell also gives her warbeasts an extra 2” of movement. ALL OF THEM. More speed for an already speedy faction. With lots of shooting, high speed, and a feat that can leave enemies frozen in their tracks, Lylyth can definitely put up a fight!
AFFLICTOR: This guy is so disgusting and cool at the same time. When it kills living enemy infantry, it spawns an Incubus model. It can do this once per turn. On top of that, when it gets hit by ranged attacks, its animus allows it to pawn the hit onto soulless warriors, such as the Incubus it just created. For 4 points, it’s a nice light warbeast.
NEPHILIM BLOODSEER: This light warbeast brings some interesting tools to the Legion arsenal. It can make any spell more accurate with Telemetry, which can be a huge benefit to several warlocks or models like Hex Hunters. The Bloodseer has to get close to use this, but its fast and it can fly, so it’s not too tough to pull off. It can also cast the animi of warbeasts in its command range, which has a wide range of applications.
The Bloodseer isn’t for every army, but with the right list, it can definitely pull its weight.
WARSPEAR CHIEFTAIN: For 2 points, this unit attachment gives Warspears the Huntsmen and Relentless Charge rules. Select a prey and go to work. He makes Warspears faster, more accurate, and harder hitting. If you use Warspears, I say take him and be done with it. Auto-include. He’s that good.
BEAST MISTRESS: Legion is known for its ability to run large numbers of warbeasts, and the Beast Mistress brings a new set of tools to that already formidable arsenal. Oh yeah, Legion has what is basically a lesser warlock! And they can take 2 of her! Too bad she can only take lesser warbeasts.
The Beast Mistress not only allows for more warbeasts to be fielded, but brings two interesting abilities into the mix. Energize allows her to move models in her battlegroup up to 3”, and Field Marshall [Aggressive] lets them charge for free! Talk about an alpha strike!
She has Flank [lesser warbeast], so a pack of Shredders makes sense.
ARCHANGEL: At first sight, the Archangel is a little underwhelming. It has the lowest ARM and health of any Gargantuan. The range on its Dragon Breath is kind of short. Its attacks hit hard, but not much harder than a Carnivean. Plus, its animus is underwhelming to say the least. So why would anyone take this guy?
First, this dragon has Ride-by Attack. It can move, attack, then move again. This effectively means its ranged attack is anywhere from an okay 10” to an insane 16”! And we’re talking d3+1 POW 14 AOE’s every turn, too! Without spending 1 Fury and with Critical Fire!
For protection, a 2 point Shredder could be considered an auto-include. Add Tenacity on the Archangel, and suddenly this gargantuan is at DEF 12 and ARM 19. Respectable, but not fantastic. But we’re not done yet! Absylonia can boost its DEF, Bethayne can boost its DEF against living enemies, and Epic Thagrosh can give it more ARM, while many of the warlocks have more offensive enhancements to give it. Heck, prime Thagrosh can even bring it BACK FROM THE DEAD!
With Absylonia, that’s DEF 14 on a model that cannot be knocked down, has 46 hit boxes, and can move AFTER it blasts your face off. Yikes!
With that being said, I think the Archangel is going to be trickier to use than other gargantuans, which have much more straight forward play styles. The Archangel isn’t unplayable, but it’s definitely not an easy model to use.
SUMMARY: Privateer Press continues to release exciting new models for every faction at roughly the same time. They have shown a strong commitment to game balance and to supporting owners of all factions. The releases in this rulebook are a fine example of their dedication to the game and to the fans.
All in all, Gargantuans is another top-notch release for a top-notch game.
Check out the complete list of Warmachine and Hordes articles here.